New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-08

L
I "Poor fellow Poor fellowi' said the doc
tor. "Brown, are you strong enough-ls soui
brain clear enough, are your nerves sce"uS-
able to bear o severe shockY
"res, SIR" | said calmly, but my heart COM
menced humping like trip-hammer L knew
something had happened TO Jane or the children.
"Tell me quick, SIR 1 said. 81 don't feel eel
overstrong and If it's anything hard to bear Ia
rather begin to get used to it right away
where do you suppose you are ana now
long do you think you've been here r said 1he
doctor, heating about the bush, Ike ,
| 81 suppose it's some sort of hospital said'
slowly And ms to tho time-maybe lts a
week-I hope It's not more. The follS at nome
would be worried at not hearing from me.
My poor fellow" said the doctor, and TINS
time [ shrank from the pity in his voice. my
moor fellow, this is the State Insane Asylum
and YOU have been here sixteen years
| ooh my God - cried and could get no 1ur
Their Tho awful horror of it. The pity OF 1t,
What was the use trying to comfort me, what
was the telling me to keep up my Spirits
Sixteen years gone out of mans life and nc nc
know il And my wife and children Where
are they, what could they think, and what had
they suiferedP
Brown" said the doctor at last control
yourself for their sallcs, If not for your own
There is some mystery about this thing that
can't understand, and you must help me TO geC
at it.. Why is it that you were not missed "len
that explosion occurred, and why were not your
friends inquirng after youP You came mere
ms a man whose identity could not be maze ouU'
Tho only papers found upon you were some clrcu-
lars containing cuts and description OF an lncu-
bator with the name OF the inventor torn on Leu
me see-what year was it when that explosion oc
Cured ? All, 1885,; and the month"; August
Correct. Let us look up the matter"
He went to cupboard beneath the bookcases
and overhauled the files Of an illustrated Newly orB
| liz, no q
affair There isn't space to tell you hero ABOUT
the long illustrated description they had: Enough
to state that twenty men were killed ana my name
was on the list. "Bown TO pieces the paper
said and only identified by scraps OF clothln@
and certain papers, and old coin in the coat
poclSets Tom Jones was said to he missing
"1hat was the friend who had on my coat
said /.
"By Jupiter y said the doctor, "thats the way
the thing came about They mistook him lot you.
| "Wait q bit" said-I wasn't used to thinking
YOU see, and it took time for ne to follow nm
| DO YOU know what it is for man to deeipher
your own history for you, word for word ana page
after pa-c, and scarce be able to follow him :
"Then he was killed. said I, soberly ard the
thought oppressed me. Such n dreadful death
and our last words together in joke. could see
how Tom looked that last day when chahcd MN
| about his chickens. me-
"Now, Brown said the doctor. II suppose
you'll want to be off at once. Or would you
| rathcr write on flSJ 10 lhhiNc oulc anu fANF'
your friends little?'
"Mv Lord. doctorl" burst out, II can't go
back now What would be the use? Even II
Jane is living which is perhaps likely she DelnH
far younger than II wasn't always KIND nus
band. doctor / was moody and out OF sorts source
| and disappointed by failure. She's even DeIter Old
without me. Perhaps she's married again. don't
| doubt she IS I'll leave her alone. If my machine
| had becn n success-if l didn't have to go back
| an old man and empty-handed y
"Nhat WAS your machine BrownP The doc
tor had been running over the file he held ana
had stopped at somo item that seemed to interest
HIM
at was something for harvesting and binding
grain answered careessly. for there was moth
ing in the world cared less for just then than my
invention 1T ran like fun, but everybody was
laughing at Il. or course II was ihllc. my
self can see now that IL could have been improved
But my Lord. what's the use of talking about IL
now! =
"Simply because I've run across something that
concerns YOU Look here he said.
There among lot OF personal notices, was some
thins that rcnd about like this:
Tho sudden and shocking death OF Mr.. James Brown
NJ tho time Of tho recent explosion at the state fair
in smartsvnlo has tho clements OF double Tragedy
He had spent four years ~ unweayng Iabor on the
Invention OF n machine for harvesting grain when
was generally looked upon rs utterly chimercal ana
on which he had spent his entire capital. ON tho
day OF his funeral tho machine was tested by oohle
Judges and pronounced n cOUlIHtc ru'''~N' n
leading manufacturing nrm havo mado oysturcs 70
nj. widow and IL Is understood that they have offered
a large sum for tho uso Of tho patent
why. Mr. Blown said the doctor chccrfully
Il noticed that he used the MI from that moment,
"all YOU have to do IS TO return home like the
prodigal 10 be welcomed and ietcd and re-
ioirci over
STUPID and slow-wltted MS l am ut best, knew
better than the doctor Who would hold n jubilee
over the resurrection Of man who had never been
| nj In ho md
who had only found luck in going out of IL ? Even
wher the doctor wiUte on and found that Jane
and the children were still living and that the
widow had never married again and had naught
but good TO say OF me- felt no COURAGE to so back
The widow DO you know what it Is to come to
yourself after years Of worse than oblivion, and
find yourself dead man. piously laid to rest and
buried in the memory of your friends and family
10 be IA ghost, a dcsoatc, wretched ghost, OF no
kin TO the next world or TO this, caring nothing
for new friends, and afraid to 60 back to the old
Who would not be better of with six feet Of clay
above them?
1 should never have had the courage to try 1t
II IL hadn't been for the doctor He cheercd me
up and urged me, and finally got me down TO the
depot and aboard the cars with my ticket in my
hand. lie gave me something else-a small paper
parcel looking away he laid it on the seat be-
side me-
ave found it in your pocket when you came to
u.s. no said.
/ knew what IL was as quickly I laid eyes on
It, The shoes for little Ellie. it did me good to
hold them for IL seemed link between the pretty
darling and me- but it weakened me unaccountably
all tho same.
had n little plan of my own that didn't con-
Gdc TO tho doctor. l meant to happen In upon her
ms stranger and sound them, like, myself, for
WAS SURF sho would never know me. Then
should be sure If | found that she was content
and happy without me, that life ran on smoothly
and my coming would be break in any way.
there would never be any resurrection but Jim
Brown would remain as dead as If he were really
laid away in the little graveyard.